Car-underframe.



V. M. S'UMMA. GAR UNDERFRAME. APPLIOATION FILED NOV. 24, 1911.

Patented Dec. 2, 19 13.

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APPLICATION FILED NOV. 24, 1911.

1,080,-1 78, Patented Dec. 2, 1913.

SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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UNITED STATES PATENT orrronvrcron m. SUMMA, OF'ST. pours, mssouar, assrenon To AMERICAN can in room- DBY. COMPANY, OEST. LOUIS,

msseuar, A coaroaarlou or new arrasar.

* CAB-UNDEBFBAME.

Specification of letters Patent.

TO-all whom it may concern:

' Be-it known that I, Vroron M. SUMM'A, a citizen of the 'United- States, residing at St. Louis, .Missouri, haveinventeda certain new and useful Improvement in Car-Underframes, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactv description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification,

in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a car body and showing a half of my im-. proved underframe. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section taken approximately on line 22 of Fig. 1 with parts of the underframe shown in horizontal section. Fig. 3 is an enlarged transverse section taken approximately on line 3- 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is an enlarged transverse section-taken approximately on lk. line of Fig. 2. Fig.5 is an enlarged transverse section taken approxi .mately on the line 5 -5 of Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is an enlarged detailed section taken approximately on the line 6- 6 of Fig. 2. i

This invention relates to an.underframe construction particularly intended for use in connection with metalliccars, commonly termed steel, cars, and the principal object. of my invention is to generally improve the construction of steel car underframes and to provide a simple, inexpensive underframe which-can be readily built from ordinary commercialf"-'shapes and plates and which underfram'e carries I'the entire "load, of the, carbody and, its contents and thus as the car bodyisrelieved'of practically all load strains said body or'sup'er's'tructure can be i 7 The endsof these plates 16 are bent later-.

formed of comparatively light weight mate;

My improved underfr'a'me is construct ed entirely of-metal and comprises a .pair of to utilize to the fullest extent the strength of the metal of which, the various parts are formed and to construct and locate the various sills so as to effectually withstand such end shocks and service strains as they may receive in ordinary usage.

With the above objects in view, my inventionfconsists in' certain novel features of and lower. edges I 'to form flanges 17 to which. the top and "In the construction of my improved un-- derframe, I make use of a pair of side sills, each comprising a vertically disposed plate Patented Dec. 2, i913.

10 which extends the entire length of the car body and this plate gradually narrows in width toward its ends in order to-form a sill 1t appertamslto make and use the same,

having its greatest depth at center.

Riveted to the inner face of the plates 10 these angles are reinforcing plates 12.-

These plates materially strengthen the deep central portions of the sidesills,which portions, are naturally subjected to the greatest load strains.

Riveted to the outer faces of the plates 10, and extendingalong the upper edges =thereof from one bolster to the other, are fiatmetal plates 13, which top chords for the side sills.

practically form The ends of the side sills areconnected in any suitable manner to metallic end sills 14, and located'at the corners of the frame r thus formed are push ole pocket casings 15.-

The body bolsters ormmg a part of my improved underframe' arearranged at suitable distances from the end sills 14 and each bolster comprises'a pair of transversely disposed members 16, preferably web plates, whichare continuous from one side sill to the other',"a'nd said .plates having their upper ,ent" into ho'rlzontal planes bottom 'platespf thebolster are connected.

ally toform flanges 18 and which latter are riveted directly to vthe plates 10 and angles 11 of; the side sills.

While Thave. shown and described the transverse members 16, as being formed of web plates, it will be readily understood that these members can be in the form of channels, I-beams, or of any other suitable shape.

1'9 desi ates the bottom plate of the body bolster which. is in the form of a fiat plate, widest at its center -and tapering in width toward its ends and said bottom plate is riveted directly to the flanges on the lower edges of the members 16. The ends of this bottom plate preferably terminate a short I distance from the angles. 11' at .thebottoms of the side sills. 1 .r'

A center bearing 19' of any suitable con-' 5 stru'ction is applied to the; under sides oi the central portion of the plate 19, and suit- 1o' ably in the form of channels or plates, having flanges on their edges, are located be- 1 tween the members16 and extend from the bottom late 19 upwardly to the top plate ofsaid olster ,and the flanges on the sides 1a of these members are riveted directly to the plates 16. The'edge's of the metal plates utilized as floor sheets 21, hereinafter more 'fully described, are applied to the flanges along thefupper edges of .the members, 16,

20 and over-lying these edges ofthe floor sheets is-a transversely disposed plate 22 which forms the top a side edges of th s top plate are rigidly fix'ed j to the corresponding edges of the floor sheets 25 and the top flanges of themembers 16 by means of rivets or in any suitable 'manner.

23 designates a pairof' longitudinally dispo'sed members, preferably'in the form of chanrielswhichextend from the central po'r:

tion of the bolster to the end sill 14 and these members serve as draft sills for the underframe. The end portions of these sills are fixed to the front member 16-01 the bolsteri and to the end sill 14 by 'means of 3'5a 11glebrackets Extending from the pomts where these draft sills unite with the bolster to the points where the end sill unites with the side sills, are diagonally disposed members 25 preferably in the form ofichan- 40 nels, the ends-of which are fixed in any suit able manner to the corresponding parts 'of the underframe, and these members'serve' as struts or braces to transmit the strains imposed on the ends ofthe end sill to the ad- ]8.CBI1t bolster. 1.

Applied to each end sill, immediately in front of the draft sills 23, is adraw-bar carry iron 26 of any desired construction.

The center sill of in improved under- .frame comprises a, vertlcally disposed web plate 27 which extends continuously from one bolster] to the other and the central portion of this web plate is considenably'deeper than the end ortions thereof, thereby form-- mg a center Slll of the well known fish belly type. Riveted to the lower edge of this plate 27 and extending from one bolster to the other, are angle members 28 which practically form the lower chord of the center 6o sill. The ends of these angles 28 are riveted tothe bottom plates 19 of the bolsters and the ends ofthe web plates 27 are connected to the inner ones of the members 16 by angle brackets 29.

plate of the. bolster and the Cross bear portions 0 t efsare located between the end deep central portion of the center sill and the corresponding portlons-of' the side sills and each ofthese cross bearers comprises a pair of vertically disposed web plates30, the inner ends of which bear di rectly against the web plate 27 and the outer ends ofwhich bear againsttheplates 10 of the side sills. A pair. of angle bars '31 are riveted to the upper edge'of each plate 30 and a corresponding pair of angle bars '32 are riveted to .the'lower edge of each plate. The

inner ends of thesecross bearers rest directly upon the angle bars 28 and said inner ends are fixed to the plate 27 inany suitable manner, preferably by means of angle brackets 33. The outer ends of the cross bearers rest upon the angle bars 11 and are fixedin any.

suitable manner to the lower portions of'the side sills. Positioned on theunder side of the cross bearer and riveted tothe horizontally disposed flanges of t he'angles 32'are reinforcing strips 34.

Horizontally disposed memoers35, either angles or channels, extend between the top portions of the center Slll'27 and side sills, said members forming supports for the floor 'sheets 21, and the inner ends of saidmems hers areconnected to the plate 27, preferably by means of angle brackets 36. The outer ends of these members 35 are connected to the side sills in any suitable manner,either bymeans of angle brackets or by being riveted to the lower portions of. the car body side posts. 1 I

Vertically disposed struts 35 are arranged between the central portions of the cross A bearers andthe members 35 which lie immediately above said cross bearers. V

The outer edges of the floor sheets 21 are bent downwardly overthe upper edges of the'plates'lO and over the plates 13ofthe side sills, and said downwardly bent'edges are. fixed to these parts by means of rivets, or in any suitable manner. The inner edges of the floor sheets are flanged downwardly and are connected by means of rivets, or in any suitable manner, to-theuppe'r edge of the center sill plate 27.

A cover-plate'37 in the form of a long,

narrow strip is-positioned immediately over the inner edges of the floor sheets 21 and these parts-are connected by means of rivets or the like.

' The side posts of the superstructure are preferably in the form of Z-bars 38, the lower ends of which extend downward immediately inside of the plates 10, with their lower ends resting upon the horizontal flanges of the angles 11 and the lower portions of these side posts are fixed in any suit- 7 able manner to the plates 10.

The outer plates or sheets of the car wall are fixed to the side posts and the lower edges of these plates or sheets extend downward over the downwardly bent side edges of the floor sheets 21.

Threshold plates 39, substantially angleshape, in'cross section, are positioned in the door openings in the side wall of-the car.

' immediately over the corresponding portions of the floor sheets 21. y I

. It will be noted that in my improved construction the downwardly bent edges of the floor sheets 21 form reinforcing members for the upper portions ofthe plates. 10 and-27 l and rigid and provides an unde and the body portions of said floor sheets practically torm continuous lateral exten creased in area according tothe lengthor capacity of the car. The use of reinforcing members 12 and 13 permits this being done, as the weight of these reinforcing members may be varied to suit the particular instance, and to maintain the uniform area of the upper and lower chords. Therefore, while the other members are, uniform or constant,

. thereinforcing members 12 and 13 are .vari- .able members, and this jeonstruction permits of considerable latitude in the construction of dcars wherein the other portions are standar A steel car underframe of my improved construction a is comparatively simple, eomprises a minimum'number of parts, allof which can be made up from commercial rolled sh'apes andflsheets and'the various parts of the underframe are arranged so as to utilize to greatestadvantage the strength of the material in supporting the entire load. of the car body or superstructure and its contents, and the various parts of theunderframe are designed and arran ed so as to effectually resist all, service strams, and bufiin shocks to, which the underframe may be su jected.

It will be readily understood that minor changes in the size, form and construction of the various parts of my improved underframe can be made and substituted for those herein shown and described without depart-v ving from the spirit of my invention, the

scope of which is set forth in the appended claims'. 4 I clalm:

1. In a'metallic car underframe a pair of" side'sills, each comprising a plate extending continuously from one end of the car to the other, reinforcing members applied to the top and bottom edges of said plates, suitable transverse members connecting the side sills, a center sill, reinforcing members applied to the lower edge of the center sill plate and floor plates fixed at their inner edges to theupper-portion of the center sill and having their outer edges overlapping the upper per tions of the side sills and secured thereto.

2. In a metallic car underframe the com- 'bination with a web plate center sill and web plate side sills of floor sheets having their side edges flanged downwardly andattache'd'to the upper portions of the center sill and side sills and reinforcing plates in terposed between the upper portions of the web .plate side sills and the downwardly bent side edges of the floor sheets. 1

3. In a metallic car underframe the combination with a web plate center sill and web plate side sills of floor -sheets having their side'edges flanged downwardly andattached to the upper portions of the center.

sill andside sills and a cover plate applied to the inner edges of the floor sheets over the web plate center sill. r

4. In a metallic car underframe the combination of a center sill, web plate side sills,

longitudinally extending reinforcing members applied to the upper and lower portions of said side'sills and floor sheets having their side edges flanged downwardly and connected to the upper portions of the web plate center sill and side sills.

' 5-. In a metallic car underframe in combination, a center sill, side sills comprising agair of vertically disposed web plates prov1 ed with reinforcing members along their upper and lower edges, and floor plates attac ed to the center sill at theirinner edges, and having their outer edges secured to the vertically disposed Web plates of the side sills and to theupper reinforcing member I thereon.

In testimon whereofl hereunto affix my signature in t e presence of two witnesses, this 20th day of November, 1911.

VICTOR M. SUMMA, Witnesses:

OscAR Hocnnnno, James J. Goornn. 

